Stair Lifts Are A Necessity

If you live in a home with stairs and you can't or have trouble walking them, then stair lifts are a necessity. These systems allow access to the 2nd floor in buildings, in many cases even to the wheelchair bound. Stair lifts are part of a system of aids for the handicap including grasping bars in the bathroom and the kitchen, wheelchairs, and motorized wheelchair. And with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1991, these fold-up devices can be seen in public buildings and even some work places. In general, stair lifts are battery operated devices used to get up the stair. A small seat is folded over at the side of the stairs, at the bottom, and then unfolded and used when the handicapped person needs to use it. Through a series of pulleys and using an electric motor, the person is firmly but surely, at a slow, safe pace, brought up the stairs. Stair lifts can be installed in either straight stairs, or curved stairs. Designing straight stair lifts is easiest, and because of the standardization of design, can often be bought on the second hand market, and installed in another straight staircase. Curved stair lifts are more expensive and take more time to design and install. They are usually one of-a-kind items that cannot be transferred to another curved staircase.

Companies that produce stair lifts include Bruno, Stannah, Savaria, Acorn, Excel, Silverglide and Summit. Other companies are involved in providing "stair lift service", which includes installing stair lift systems, and offering new and used models. For example, Silver Cross is a free service that locates new and used dealers of stair lifts and helps handicapped customers obtain funding sources for the devices. They have done this for over 100,000 individuals since 1993. Other people who cannot successfully use stair lifts have the option of installing in their homes wheel chair lifts, which can lift an entire wheelchair with a person in it over several steps, and home elevator systems. Many stair lift systems are battery powered, so the person can have service even in the event of a power blackout. However, some experts think that an electricity operated stair lift is more reliable over the long run. Probably, the best alternative would be a system that uses regular electrical line power, but has a battery back-up system in the event of an emergency.